May you know you are never a burden. You are always a blessing.

May you never doubt my love for you and hope for you to live your life to the fullest. May you know your diagnosis is not your identity. 

May you never think your illness is your fault or that if you were stronger or more resilient, then    you would not have this health challenge.

May you have the strength to ask for help when you need it and believe you have the strength to fight your battles.

May you come to understand that friends who faded away during your struggle still care but don’t know what to say or do to show their support.

May you learn new skills, recognize and build on your strengths, and benefit from medication and nutrition to improve your mental health.

May I show you the love and support you need at the right time and with an open heart. May I be more patient, less demanding, and more accepting of where you are in the moment.

May you live to be an example of hope for others who struggle.

May we help others to think more deeply about supporting with kindness and dignity families like ours that struggle with mental health.

May Hashem bring you a complete and speedy healing, happiness, and blessings.

May the One who blessed our ancestors and named us Israel bless and heal those among us who struggle with mental well-being. May they acknowledge their own strength and resilience, treat themselves with forgiveness and patience, and find help, compassion, and resources when they need them. And, may the Holy One grant those of us who aren’t experiencing mental health issues the strength, resilience and capacity to listen without judgment and with intention, and the ability to notice when others are struggling. May we create communities that accept, uplift, and support those among us who are struggling. Now, speedily, and in a time soon to come. Amen.

May you know you are never a burden. You are always a blessing.

May you never doubt my love for you and hope for you to live your life to the fullest. May you know your diagnosis is not your identity. 

May you never think your illness is your fault or that if you were stronger or more resilient, then  you would not have this health challenge.

May you have the strength to ask for help when you need it and believe you have the strength to fight your battles.

May you come to understand that friends who faded away during your struggle still care but don’t know what to say or do to show their support.

May you learn new skills, recognize and build on your strengths, and benefit from medication and nutrition to improve your mental health.

May I show you the love and support you need at the right time and with an open heart. May I be more patient, less demanding, and more accepting of where you are in the moment.

May you live to be an example of hope for others who struggle.

May we help others to think more deeply about supporting with kindness and dignity families like ours that struggle with mental health.

May Hashem bring you a complete and speedy healing, happiness, and blessings.

May the One who blessed our ancestors and named us Israel bless and heal those among us who struggle with mental well-being. May they acknowledge their own strength and resilience, treat themselves with forgiveness and patience, and find help, compassion, and resources when they need them. And, may the Holy One grant those of us who aren’t experiencing mental health issues the strength, resilience and capacity to listen without judgment and with intention, and the ability to notice when others are struggling. May we create communities that accept, uplift, and support those among us who are struggling. Now, speedily, and in a time soon to come. Amen.

The Wise

This is the part of us that understands much, in fact, too much. This is the part of us that is in love with our smartness. We worship our intellect and start to believe that everything can be explained and solved. This part allows us to intellectually bypass the need to take individual action and personal sacrifice, and, in the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, “become indifferent to the sublime wonder of living.”

The Wicked

This is the part of us that perceives of ourselves as wicked, as the oppressor. Though it's important to hold ourselves accountable for the pain that we've created and for the privilege that we have, if we succumb to the guilt about those things, we stop being effective. Our guilt rules us and when something doesn’t go our way, we believe that it is our fault. If only we were blank. This part of us gets stuck in our flaws, thinks that we should be perfect. It is our insecure part and the part that feels the absence of purpose. When we can't connect to purpose, we cannot properly hear the call to action.

The Simple

This is the part of us that just appears to be dumb. We negate the simplicity of living, so this part of us has to be bad. In reality, this is the place of wisdom and us. This is our soul’s knowledge, it is the part of us that comprehends what is the next right thing to do. Comprehending is the way to freedom. This part allows us to again in the words of Heschel, “experience the sacred in every event of our lives.”

The One Who Does Not Know How To Ask

This is the scariest place of all darkness. When we are truly stuck, we are unable to ask for help. We feel too foolish just to cry out to a higher power and others for help. This is the part of us that is like the 80% of the Israelites and the multitude of Egyptians who watched as the other half left slavery and the firstborns were dying. This is the part of us that stands around, wringing our hands, saying there is nothing we can do.

Each of these parts exists within us. This is the time of year that we can and must find a way to alchemize these shortcomings of ourselves into gifts. This is the meaning of our tradition. We are never to deny our struggles, only have radical acceptance.

- Adapted from “A Haggaddah For Spiritual Recovery”, Beit T’Shuvah

“May those who love you be at peace.

May there be well-being within your ramparts,

peace in your citadels.”

For the sake of my kin and friends,

I pray for your well-being;

for the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I seek your good.

– Sefaria Community Translation